Teachers Matter

From the minute children become part of our lives, our main priority becomes their safety and well-being. We take all measures possible to provide our young ones with the healthiest foods, baby products, toys, and environment. Endless hours are spent on the internet researching what products are safe for our children, while balancing work and family. As parents we have an innate sense of what is best for our children yet, too often, once our children enter the school system we leave the care of their minds and spirits to teachers.

As a mother of three children (ages 24, 22, 17), I have come to understand and appreciate the value of a good teacher. At the same time, I have observed the lack of value our society as a whole puts on their profession. In a recent paper, economists at Harvard underscore that the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime. Among its findings, the study showed that just one year of schooling under a teacher whose classes score highly on standardized tests increases a student’s lifetime earnings by an estimated $50,000.

In a wonderful You Tube video, Taylor Mali -- a teacher in a New York City school responds to the question of what a teacher "makes" by answering the following: "I make kids think, I make them wonder, I make them question" What a teacher imports to our children and how that teacher holds the next generation is a topic that has lacked importance in our society.

There is a powerful change starting to permeate our society which has been brought on by many parents. They understand that for America to be great, we have to start with reverence for the people who are given the responsibility to educate our children.

Whether we choose to home school our children or send them into our public/private school systems, we need to know that the teachers have one of the most important jobs in our society. We can all make a difference by supporting our teachers and acknowledging the value they bestow on future generations.